Friends, I'm having a situation that never had happenned to me before, perhaps one of you can help or point me in the right direction. The situation is following:

I'm trying to book an award travel to my mother from JFK to GIG on flight AA 973 on Business Class on the day of May 24th. It shows no seat available for MilesSaver, it's ok, I understand that! But I was shocked when out of curiosity I went to see the nearest date that could give me a seat for the milesaver on Business and I was much surprised that there was no near date on that selected flight. NONE, no one whatsoever. So I got really confused! Could this be a glitch in the system? Or AA blocked all the business class seats on this selected flight for the following year?

P.S.: I could find some seats available through MIA and DFW, but none from JFK!

Friends, I'm having a situation that never had happenned to me before, perhaps one of you can help or point me in the right direction. The situation is following:

I'm trying to book an award travel to my mother from JFK to GIG on flight AA 973 on Business Class on the day of May 24th. It shows no seat available for MilesSaver, it's ok, I understand that! But I was shocked when out of curiosity I went to see the nearest date that could give me a seat for the milesaver on Business and I was much surprised that there was no near date on that selected flight. NONE, no one whatsoever. So I got really confused! Could this be a glitch in the system? Or AA blocked all the business class seats on this selected flight for the following year?

P.S.: I could find some seats available through MIA and DFW, but none from JFK!

Thanks for your time and attention!

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Hmm - were you logged in as you when looking on AA.com - they make additional capacity available for exps on certain flights. Will only show up if you are logged in to the website. You might call as well and ask - I sometimes wonder if the exp desk has certain tricks (though I certainly cant confirm this).

Worst case, you have to stop in MIA to get a low miles award...while not ideal, not the end of the world to get a low miles business award ticket.

Hmm - were you logged in as you when looking on AA.com - they make additional capacity available for exps on certain flights. Will only show up if you are logged in to the website. You might call as well and ask - I sometimes wonder if the exp desk has certain tricks (though I certainly cant confirm this).

Worst case, you have to stop in MIA to get a low miles award...while not ideal, not the end of the world to get a low miles business award ticket.

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I don't believe that the EXP expanded availability is viewable online. One must call in to have access to this.

Hmm - were you logged in as you when looking on AA.com - they make additional capacity available for exps on certain flights. Will only show up if you are logged in to the website. You might call as well and ask - I sometimes wonder if the exp desk has certain tricks (though I certainly cant confirm this).

Worst case, you have to stop in MIA to get a low miles award...while not ideal, not the end of the world to get a low miles business award ticket.

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Yes, I was logged in and the ticket is for my mom (NOT EXP). I call the EXP Desk and they told me there is no availability as well, which I found odd, because there is absolutely no availability, imagine that, I just think that's weird since there is no way for me to reach an award booking, no way!!! But I'll probably have to use the Anytime award, in this case I find that unfair.

Friends, I'm having a situation that never had happenned to me before, perhaps one of you can help or point me in the right direction. The situation is following:

I'm trying to book an award travel to my mother from JFK to GIG on flight AA 973 on Business Class on the day of May 24th. It shows no seat available for MilesSaver, it's ok, I understand that! But I was shocked when out of curiosity I went to see the nearest date that could give me a seat for the milesaver on Business and I was much surprised that there was no near date on that selected flight. NONE, no one whatsoever. So I got really confused! Could this be a glitch in the system? Or AA blocked all the business class seats on this selected flight for the following year?

P.S.: I could find some seats available through MIA and DFW, but none from JFK!

Thanks for your time and attention!

Click to expand...

I haven't flown to So America in years, and then it wasn't on AA, so I am no expert on GIG.

But. . . As for Milesaaver availability on popular routes in general, it is quirky as hell.

For a few years running, I was able to get F Milesaaver seats to Hawaii at Christmas by logging on early in the morning exactly 11 months prior, sometimes even putting stuff on hold until it was a few days later, exactly 11 months prior to the return. booking that, and then ticketing it all. But in 2010 it looked like they had blocked out everything Yuletide to Hawaii (and most other warm places on the planet) when the 11 months came along. Then several weeks later, it opened up and I snapped it. In 2011, the 11-month trick worked, but only with an odd itinerary.

So one thing you can do is keep checking, daily. Can't say anything about GIG, but with many markets, availability comes and goes. . . I promise.

The other thing that has worked well for me when traveling alone is check popular markets with only a few days to go, when they tend to open up the spigots again, particularly for parties as small as one. But while that works well with a single self-sufficient passenger, it is of course problematic when one is trying to help out his mom, as you are.

There is no availability on B or F from Feb 2 till Aug 3 for the Flight AA 973!!!

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not good.

kansaskeith said:

So one thing you can do is keep checking, daily. Can't say anything about GIG, but with many markets, availability comes and goes. . . I promise.

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FT has long threads about UA rarely opening up saver space for premium cabins.

It is a total BS move by AA. Eloy Fonseca Neto is providing AA quite a window, in the future, to book a premium cabin saver award, the fact that not one seat is available for 6 whole months is a bit more than markets & availability, AA is playing unfair IMO.

AAs only direct flight JFK/GIG always a difficult upgrade/award plus it appears to be changing from a 777 to a 763 sometime in the spring which reduces the upper tier seats even further.

So whats the problem with her flying through MIA or DFW a reasonable compromise in a tough award seat situation (too many people buying miles) ?

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No problem at all, but still there is no availability!!

mangoMan said:

Book the award thru MIA or DFW and then use EF to monitor the direct flight and change to it if it becomes available.

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I would gentleman, if you could find a date on july which is possible to book such award. I couldn't find any seat, not even through MIA or DFW!!! The nearest date is August 6th, but that wouldn't work for her! There is no way other than burn the Anytime award, even if the flight is empty as you can see by trying to book paying! It's a really bad move from AA!

I would gentleman, if you could find a date on july which is possible to book such award. I couldn't find any seat, not even through MIA or DFW!!! The nearest date is August 6th, but that wouldn't work for her! There is no way other than burn the Anytime award, even if the flight is empty as you can see by trying to book paying! It's a really bad move from AA!

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Other options
1) Through MIA or DFW to GRU cheap GO or TAM ticket to GIG quite a bit of F and J award inventory available.
2) JFK to EZE and cheap ticket to GIG lots of F milesaver inventory on route ....the trip in F will make up for the EZE/GIG leg.

There is no availability on B or F from Feb 2 till Aug 3 for the Flight AA 973!!! I think that's unfair!

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Did the airline ever promise that its Award Availability will be based on fairness?

The whole concept of Revenue Management is inherently unfair, as it is specifically designed to extract the highest possible price for each seat and then allocate 'leftover' seats, if any are expected to remain, to awards...

Did the airline ever promise that its Award Availability will be based on fairness?

The whole concept of Revenue Management is inherently unfair, as it is specifically designed to extract the highest possible price for each seat and then allocate 'leftover' seats, if any are expected to remain, to awards...

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Well, taking the perspective that the cabin is 100% empty, it is my opinion that with this far in advance blocking the seat is unfair!

I would gentleman, if you could find a date on july which is possible to book such award. I couldn't find any seat, not even through MIA or DFW!!! The nearest date is August 6th, but that wouldn't work for her! There is no way other than burn the Anytime award, even if the flight is empty as you can see by trying to book paying! It's a really bad move from AA!

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Your first post says you could though....

Eloy Fonseca Neto said:

P.S.: I could find some seats available through MIA and DFW, but none from JFK!

Yes dear Friend!!! All gone!!! No flights to GIG Whatsoever!!! Only way is wait and prey and if gets closer and still like that will have to use the AAnytime Award, like I said, very unfair on this case!!!

Well, taking the perspective that the cabin is 100% empty, it is my opinion that with this far in advance blocking the seat is unfair!

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It isn't an issue of fairness or unfairness. Frequent Flyer awards were always intended to be seats that would not be sold and would otherwise be empty. AA is simply saying that they cannot predict with certainty that there will be empty seats in business class six months from now on a route that has historically had extremely high levels of paid premium passengers and that has recently been downgraded from a 777 (with 53 premium seats) to a 763 (with 30 premium seats).

MileSAAver business class seats will likely become available on this flight between now and May 24. As an EXP, you are able to cancel an award without penalty. I would suggest that you book your mother in business with an AAnytime award, then set an ExpertFlyer alert for U inventory on that flight. If the U inventory becomes available, cancel the AAnytime award and book her on a MileSAAver award. I think the chances are excellent that you will only pay for a MileSAAver award. If you get really unlucky and have to pay for the AAnytime award, your mother is worth it.

The question is not whether it is "100% empty" today (which is trivial to determine), but, rather how full it is going to be come departure day (which is the task of the Revenue Management).

Eloy Fonseca Neto said:

it is my opinion that with this far in advance blocking the seat is unfair!

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The 'default' for Award seats is, essentially, zero, so they are not "blocking" anything, they are just not not allocating any of those seats as Awards until they are [reasonably] confident (in their opinion) that there will be 'leftover' seats on that flight...

It isn't an issue of fairness or unfairness. Frequent Flyer awards were always intended to be seats that would not be sold and would otherwise be empty. AA is simply saying that they cannot predict with certainty that there will be empty seats in business class six months from now on a route that has historically had extremely high levels of paid premium passengers and that has recently been downgraded from a 777 (with 53 premium seats) to a 763 (with 30 premium seats).

MileSAAver business class seats will likely become available on this flight between now and May 24. As an EXP, you are able to cancel an award without penalty. I would suggest that you book your mother in business with an AAnytime award, then set an ExpertFlyer alert for U inventory on that flight. If the U inventory becomes available, cancel the AAnytime award and book her on a MileSAAver award. I think the chances are excellent that you will only pay for a MileSAAver award. If you get really unlucky and have to pay for the AAnytime award, your mother is worth it.

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Thank you so much!!! Now I just need to figure out how Expert Flyer works!!!

I am trying to redeem a one way American Airlines business class sAAver seat on April 1rst or 2nd from PHX to CDG and the same from CDG to PHX on April 16th or 17th.
I have even been looking at sAAver economy seats on those flights without much luck.
On those dates the only sAAver seat available with only one connection and without an overnight layover is an economy seat on the 17th from CDG to MIA (#63) connecting to MIA to PHX (#1007).
Every other options both ways require an overnight layover.
This looks very similar to what started to happen with Delta Airlines around 1995 when "saver" rewards became increasingly hard to secure and when available required "crazy" routings.
I remember a Phoenix to Yuma to Los Angeles to Honolulu for example....
In American Airlines defense, sAAvers business seats on flights from London to Phoenix via DWF or ORD are available.
I secured a first class savers seat on UA from CDG but would rather use AA business.
Any suggestion would be welcome.
Thank you.

I know I am a little late here.. You have better odds going through gru than gig. I have never scored award avail to rio in 2 years.. Plus there are more flights to gru..

Is gru completely sold out ?

Eloy Fonseca Neto said:

Friends, I'm having a situation that never had happenned to me before, perhaps one of you can help or point me in the right direction. The situation is following:

I'm trying to book an award travel to my mother from JFK to GIG on flight AA 973 on Business Class on the day of May 24th. It shows no seat available for MilesSaver, it's ok, I understand that! But I was shocked when out of curiosity I went to see the nearest date that could give me a seat for the milesaver on Business and I was much surprised that there was no near date on that selected flight. NONE, no one whatsoever. So I got really confused! Could this be a glitch in the system? Or AA blocked all the business class seats on this selected flight for the following year?

P.S.: I could find some seats available through MIA and DFW, but none from JFK!

In American Airlines defense, sAAvers business seats on flights from London to Phoenix via DWF or ORD are available.

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Any way to make those work with a BA flight LHR-CDG? They fly that route 8 times a day so that should give you some flexibility with making connections. Don't imagine you'd have much of a fuel surcharge on that due to the short distance.

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